Berks campus notes
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Specially designed coin medallions of gold, silver and copper were presented to Kutztown University’s Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Awards recipients who were nominated by staff and faculty for meeting one or more of the six areas of achievement: successfully completed research projects, highquality original artwork, high-quality artistic performances (music, chorus, drama, etc.), original writing in literature or meritorious writing in other fields, noteworthy achievements in athletics, and outstanding service to the KU community. Lauren Murphy, a physics major on an astronomy track graduating in May from Plymouth, Mass., was awarded the Gold Medal for successfully completed research project. Her research is in collaboration with NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission and the TESS Follow-up Observing Program working group. Her work contributed to the discovery of eight new exoplanets orbiting nearby bright stars, resulting in a co-authorship on more than two peer-reviewed publications. She presented her research contributions as lead author at the American Astronomical Society’s 241st meeting this past January. Emma Smith, a communication design major graduating in May from Martinsburg, was awarded the Gold Medal for original artwork of high quality. Her creative work has been recognized through various platforms, including being featured in the AIGA Philadelphia Locally Sourced Publication and the Essence Fine Art and Literary Magazine. National and international recognition includes two honorable mentions from Graphis, a prestigious annual design publication; a National Gold ADDY Award from the American Advertising Federation for UX/UI Design; a Best in Show ADDY Award for Animation from the AAF Greater
Lehigh Valley, a Gold ADDY Award for cross-platform campaigns; and a silver ADDY Award for cross-platform campaigns. Other work has also been recognized by the University and College Designers Association and AIGA Flux.
Corinne Deichmeister, an art and design major and art history minor graduating in May from Whitehall, was awarded the Silver Medal for original artwork of high quality. Deichmeister has won numerous accolades for her award-winning design work, showcasing a thoughtful and conceptual approach. She founded and presided over the KU Image Making Club and served as acting vice president of the KU American Institute of Graphic Arts student chapter. She has also collaborated with the assistant director of University Marketing to create marketing materials, while head monitor in the 2D IDEA lab and hosting workshops. She has been named a runner-up in the Creative Quarterly Summer 2023competition and a finalist in the 2022AIGA Flux Competition. She is interning with Meris, Inc., a marketing firm in Bethlehem.
Zachary Raup from Danville, who graduated summa cum laude in December with degrees in physics and astronomy, was awarded the Silver Medal for successfully completed research project. He worked at the C.R. Chambliss Astronomical Observatory as an active member of the TESS Follow-Up Observing Program working group, confirming the TESS exoplanet transit signals for three new TESS Objects of Interests. This allowed TESS to expand on the observations to more costly instruments that can measure the masses of planet candidates. Raup presented his findings as the lead author at the 241st meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle in January. He also worked as a research assistant with Dr. Robert Wittenwyer at the USQ and the MINERVA-Australis/Mt. Kent Observatory in Australia, where he built a working spectrograph for one of their auxiliary telescopes and participated in a project to refine the orbital parameters of known exoplanets using new TESS data. Gracie McKee, a business administration marketing major graduating in May from Gilbertsville, was awarded the Copper Medal for noteworthy achievements in athletics. A standout student-athlete, she has set school records in three individual events and is listed in the school’s top-10for four other events and one relay. At the PSAC Championships in February, McKee became KU’s first PSAC champion since 2010, winning the 200-yard backstroke. She also won a silver medal for the 100-yard backstroke and a bronze medal for the 100-yard butterfly at that championship meet. She has been recognized as a two-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete. Additionally, she received the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award.
Emelly Tiburcio, from Sinking Spring, was awarded the Copper Medal for successfully completed research project. She earned a bachelor of science in chemistry in May 2022 and will earn her second bachelor’s degree this May as a physics major on the astronomy track. Her project builds upon work by renowned expert on Algol-type binary stars, Dr. Mercedes Richards. Tiburcio studied the KU Cygni system, a long-period Algol-type binary system, and found that its accretion disk can vary significantly over a short timescale. She used the C.R. Chambliss Astronomical Observatory to collect data and her presentation of her findings at the American Astronomical Society meeting generated a great deal of interest. She was subsequently offered a position in the graduate program at Louisiana State University to continue her research. She also received funding from the National Science Foundation and was granted a research award from the KU Undergraduate Research Fund.
THEATER
Mertztown resident and DeSales University theater major Anja Patience Thomas is the assistant lighting designer for the University’s Act 1production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” from April 26to May 7. Act 1is the highly acclaimed producing arm of the DeSales University Division of Performing Arts that encourages students to bring truth and beauty to the world through their art forms in plays, musicals, children’s theatre, dance concerts, and film festivals.
HONOR SOCIETIES
Alyson Miller, Alburtis, was inducted into the Cedar Crest College Xi Kappa Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, an international English honor society.
The following area Lebanon Valley College students were inducted into the Kappa Delta Pi education honor society: Morgan Carothers, Birdsboro, a graduate of Daniel Boone High School who is pursuing a degree in music education; Haley Thunberg of Myerstown, a graduate of Eastern Lebanon County High School who is pursuing a degree in early childhood education and special education.
Aleah Hoffman of Birdsboro was inducted into Sigma Tau Delta and Alpha Kappa Delta at Lebanon Valley College. Hoffman, a graduate of Exeter Township Senior High School, is pursuing a bachelor of arts in English and sociology at The Valley. Alyssa Fontana of Douglassville was inducted into the business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma at University of Scranton students. Fontana is a junior pursuing an operations management degree at the Jesuit university. Lebanon Valley College inducted Gina Coccia of Birdsboro, a graduate of Berks Catholic High School, to its Psi Chi honor society, a national honor society for students who are psychology or neuroscience majors or psychology minors. Coccia is pursuing a bachelor of science in communication sciences and disorders Lebanon Valley College inducted students into its chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, a political science honors society. Meredith Haas of Mohrsville, a graduate of Hamburg Area Jr-Sr High School, is pursuing a bachelor of arts in English and political science. Lionel Landry of Barto, a graduate of Boyertown Area Senior High School, is pursuing a bachelor of arts in history and political science. Reilly Hastings, Reading, and Alexander N. Kowalchuk, Mertztown, were inducted into Kutztown University’s Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society.
Cailyn Miller of Blandon was initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, a selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, at Lycoming College.
ACADEMIC PRESENTATION
Lebanon Valley College student Cody Shay, Denver, attended and presented at the American Physical Society Group on Hadronic Physics Meeting /APS April Meeting: Quarks to Cosmos in Minneapolis. Shay presented a contributed poster titled “Numerical Study of Single-Inclusive Longitudinal-Transverse DoubleSpin Asymmetries in Electron-Nucleon and Proton-Proton Collisions.” Shay, a graduate of Cocalico High School, is pursuing a bachelor of science in physics.
Morgan Chmielenski of Honey Brook presented original academic work April 20at Ohio Wesleyan University’s 2023Spring Student Symposium. Chmielenski presented as part of a group “Ohio Wesleyan Bacillus Collection Student Research,” mentored by Laura Tuhela-Reuning, Ph.D. The annual symposium is designed to highlight the breadth, depth, and quality of work produced by Ohio Wesleyan students in their classes and through mentored research, artistic performances, and other projects.
Kutztown University assistant professor of art and design Samantha Nye was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship.
PROFESSOR HONORED
Kutztown University assistant professor of art and design Samantha Nye, who resides in Philadelphia, was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Nye was awarded for Film-Video and was one of 171individuals selected from nearly 2,500 applications. Created and initially funded in 1925 by Senator Simon and Olga Guggenheim in memory of their son John Simon Guggenheim, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has sought since its inception to “further the development of scholars and artists by assisting them to engage in research in any field of knowledge and creation in any of the arts, under the freest possible conditions.”
Nye graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in 2010and went on to earn her master’s degree at the Columbia University School of the Arts.
ACADEMIC CONFERENCE
The following Albright College students presented scholarly work at the 24th annual Berks County Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference: Truc Phuong Ha, Reading; Stephanie Hegedus, Blandon; Emily Johnson, Robesonia; Veloie Mastrocola, Wyomissing; Olivia Oatman, Exeter Township; Hannah Plowmaker, Ephrata; Leon Sconion, Reading; Dylan Sokolovich, Reading; Joshua Templin, Reading.
ALVERNIA AWARDS
The following area Alvernia University student leaders were honored at the 2023Honors Convocation Award
Ceremony:
Yessica Abreu Robinson, Reading, Fromm Interfaith Scholarship Award; Limarys Alvarez, Wyomissing, Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling Internship Excellence Award; Faith Amole, Exeter Township, Outstanding Clinical Performance Award; Julia Beaven, Reading, Excellence in Accounting Award.
Nicole Bogenschutz, Boyertown, Outstanding Education Student Award; Erica Burch, Leesport, Holleran Center Outstanding Service Award; Paige Carroll, West Reading, Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling Award of Excellence; Russell Clineff, Douglassville, Chorus Award; Mia Corbacio, Lower Heidelberg Township, Outstanding Addictions and Mental Health Treatment Academic Excellence Award.
Julia Davis, Lenhartsville, Outstanding Student Award in History, Humanities, Theology and Outstanding Mock Trial Student Competitor Award and Honors Program Award; Leighan Elicker, Jefferson Township, Academic Excellence in Physchology Award. Leon Geiger, Wernersville, St. Ignatius of Loyola Award; Jenna Grosko of Bethel, Nursing Excellence Award.
Marli Hess, Mohnton, Health Science Academic Excellence Award; Hayley Hine, Reading, Outstanding Student in Political Science Award; Anthony Kuklinski, Gilbertsville, Criminal Justice Academic Excellence Award; Carlen Lazar, Blandon, Outstanding Undergraduate Research in Chemistry Award and Honors Program Award.
Kurt Manderbach, Oley, Digital Media & Multimedia Production Award; Sarah Mangan, Douglassville, Nursing Leadership Award; Carissa Martin, Womelsdorf, Spirit of St. Francis Award; Morgan Mathieu, Shillington, Emma Yoh Award for Outstanding Professionalism; Tyler Moran, Reading, Boscov Reading Collegiate Scholar Award; Kathleen Murney, Wernersville, St. Ignatius of Loyola Award.
Yupha Muzyka, Sinking Spring, ACBSP Student Leadership Award; Jenna Philippe, Bernville, Outstanding Women’s Track & Field Scholar Athlete Award, Outstanding Academic Excellence Awards in the College of STEAM and Biology, Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award in Biology, Student Undergraduate Research Fellow Award and the Honors Program Award.
Savannah Shirey, Bernville, Research Excellence in Psychology Award; Jennifer Sweigert, Bernville, Master of Education Award of Excellence; Chloe Vogel, West Lawn, Honors Program Award.
Items are submitted by the colleges involved.